Main Navigation

2665 32nd Street SE, St. Cloud, MN 56304
classbk@cloudnet.com

Dr. Ken Czech has taught history both in secondary schools and in higher education. He has published books and numerous articles on a wide variety of historical topics. His annotated bibliographies of the literature of exploration and big game hunting are quoted extensively by major auction houses and used book dealers worldwide. Ken has received the Minnesota Book Award and the Chicago Public Library Reading Roundtable Award, and is a recipient of the Ashland Oil Teacher Achievement Award. Ken is also active in the antiquarian book trade, specializing in works of travel, exploration, and sport. His stock can be viewed at www.abebooks.com d/b/a Classic Arms Books. Ken's passion, however, has turned to writing historical novels. He is a member of The Historical Novel Society.

Mary A. Czech is a retired chemical dependency counselor. Her first book, LIKE A ROCK, co-authored with Teresa Rock, is now available from the authors.

Just Announced! Ken's new historical novel to be released on August 2, 2018.

Last Dance In KabulPublished by Fireship Press

When his superiors ignore his warnings of an impending Afghan insurrection in 1841, British army captain Reeve Waterton vows never to return to Kabul. But then he rescues strong-willed Sarah Kane from an ambush and his plans for civilian life and self-preservation unravel around him.

At first Reeve dislikes Sarah as much as she loathes him. She's as impudent and disdainful of authority as he, plus she's betrothed to his bitterest rival. It's only after Reeve's closest friend is brutally murdered and the Afghan tribes explode in revolt that he and Sarah discover their desperate need for each other. When the retreating British army is caught between the jaws of Afghanistan's blizzard-wracked mountain passes and hordes of vengeful Afghan tribesmen, Sarah and Reeve must rely on their skills, courage, and blossoming love just to survive.

"Last Dance in Kabul is a war story; a story of life and death; a story of love and hate, and it is a very good read. I was pulled back to 1841 and dropped in the middle of the Afghan insurrection." –Trudi LoPreto for Reader's Favorite

"Reeve Waterton, a dashing rogue, is a true hero who stands among the most valiant officers of British fiction. Sarah Kane is an assertive woman assured of her own mind yet vulnerable in her heart. Together they spark the blaze that energizes Last Dance in Kabul." --Rex Griffin, historical writer

"You won't find two more compelling characters than Reeve Waterton and Sarah Kane. I love them. I rooted for them to survive and work things out from the third chapter until the exciting conclusion. Their story was so expertly woven between survival and romance that I found it difficult to pull myself away from it." –Ray Simmons, for Reader's Favorite

"[The] character development is impeccable and the conflict gives the story its powerful depth and emotional intensity. Last Dance in Kabul is a captivating, well-plotted and beautifully paced novel." --Christian Sia, for Reader's Favorite

*****************************************************************************************"Fans of ... the Victorian era will find this book a gem" - Historical Novels Review

"I read [Beyond the River of Shame] in one sitting and recommend it highly" - Ross Seyfried, The Double Gun
Journal

Seventeen-year-old Florie von Sass is stunned when British explorer Sam Baker thunders the winning bid for her at a slave auction.
Even more shocking is when Sam suddenly abandons her. With the Ottoman governor's slave catchers determined to return her
to bondage, Florie desperately follows Sam on a haunting and perilous journey from the savage shores of the Black Sea to the
uncharted heart of Central Africa.

Sam hadn't planned on attending a slave auction. He was, after all, on his way to unravel the riddle of the Nile River's sources.
But seeing the beautiful and proud Florie offered on the auction block strikes a chord deep within, and he calls out the final bid.
He quickly realizes that his noble attempt to save her presents a dilemma: the scandal of buying a slave will not only destroy his
family and reputation in Victorian-era England, but will jeopardize his dreams of fame.

BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME, the fictionalized account of this true story of Sam Baker and the woman he comes to love,
follows this unlikely pair into the depths of unknown Africa as they are enmeshed in a struggle against wild beasts, killer diseases,
and the horrors of a slave trade that has spread its tentacles to the very headwaters of the Nile. Though Florie and Sam's courage
and love will be driven to the breaking point, the lure of the mysterious "Dead Locust Lake" draws them on to their climactic
showdown with the slave catchers.

Published by All Things That Matter Press. ISBN 978-0998071756

To order visit: amazon.com/author/amazon.com-kenczech Available as a paperback and E-book on Kindle. Also available at Barnes & Noble. Signed copies available directly from me at $16.95 plus $3 shipping. Please send check or money order to Ken Czech, 2665 32nd Street SE, St. Cloud, MN 56304.
Payment also accepted via Paypal payable to classbk@cloudnet.com

LIKE A ROCK

Bright blue sky and perfect "fast snow." What started as an exciting day of skiing ended in Teresa Rock's near death battle for survival after collapsing on a Colorado mountain.

LIKE A ROCK is the true account of this vibrant young woman's courage and persistence to recover from a devastating brain hemorrhage that robbed her of life's abilities we all take for granted.

Teresa's story is a testament to the struggle of letting go in order to accept help. It reveals how her past prepared her to access inner strengths and the will to persevere.

Signed copies of LIKE A ROCK are available from the author at $15.95 plus $3 shipping. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Mary A. Czech and sent to 2665 32nd Street SE, Saint Cloud, MN 56304. Payment is also accepted via Paypal to classbk@cloudnet.com